90 Day Fast Track w/PPL

Trr56

Trr56

Well-Known Member
I'm considering ATP's 90 day program, but was curious if anyone was familiar with how they handle this situation:
I have my PPL, but with 50 hours. The 90 day program requires a PPL with 100 hours. Would they essentially not allow me to enter the program until I went and flew an additional 50 hours, or would they work the 50 hours into the program and cost?
 
Trr56 said:
I'm considering ATP's 90 day program, but was curious if anyone was familiar with how they handle this situation:
I have my PPL, but with 50 hours. The 90 day program requires a PPL with 100 hours. Would they essentially not allow me to enter the program until I went and flew an additional 50 hours, or would they work the 50 hours into the program and cost?
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There are so many better ways to go about getting your ratings. Yes, you would need to get another 50 hours before you could get into the program...but don't worry, I'm sure ATP will happily sell you a time building program and some crazy price.

Feel free to ask me any questions you have, I'm an ex ATP'er. I came into the program with my PPL / Instrument and about 105 hours. I got lucky and was able to use my GI Bill benefits and didn't spend any money on the program out of pocket, and came out with my PPL Multi add-on > CMEL + CSEL. I have over 100 hours of multi time now, but even now the airlines don't really care that much since the elephant in the room is 1500 hours and ATP requirements. It used to be that multi was the big deal...not so much now. From interacting with guys who were in the fast track program, it's a brutal grind, and I think flight training should be more fun than that. I'd look into Part 61 training at a local FBO instead. Enjoy this phase of your career, go out and take friends flying for the hell of it, you won't always get this chance!
 
Thanks for the input.

My problem lies in my situation: I've been unemployed the last year because I was finishing up my Bachelor's and was applying to the Air Force. I was accepted this year, but I'm finding out this month that I am most likely disqualified from flying because of an unexpected back issue and surgery I now need. Now that my dream job will be falling through, I feel like a lot of time has been wasted waiting for it. The speed of ATP would allow me to quickly jump back on the horse and start instructing quick. I definitely don't want the debt it presents, but the financing option would allow me to get into instructing quick, rather than spending a few years not flying like I really want to. Ultimately I am thinking the debt, although not desirable, would be worth getting into what I want as a career sooner rather than much later.
 
Trr56 said:
Thanks for the input.

My problem lies in my situation: I've been unemployed the last year because I was finishing up my Bachelor's and was applying to the Air Force. I was accepted this year, but I'm finding out this month that I am most likely disqualified from flying because of an unexpected back issue and surgery I now need. Now that my dream job will be falling through, I feel like a lot of time has been wasted waiting for it. The speed of ATP would allow me to quickly jump back on the horse and start instructing quick. I definitely don't want the debt it presents, but the financing option would allow me to get into instructing quick, rather than spending a few years not flying like I really want to. Ultimately I am thinking the debt, although not desirable, would be worth getting into what I want as a career sooner rather than much later.
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You can do it part 61 just as fast as you can at ATP. My instrument was nine days at the flying club I belong to, commercial was a week. For the time building I flew some fun flights, KMKG to KLAS, down to pick up my daughter in St. Louis, and other places. CFI will be done next month, and CMEL right after that. Since you already have a private, there's no waiting around for an instructor to get ready for Instrument or commercial. Grab a plane and fly the hell out of it, I put 28 hours in the mooney in three days just going to Vegas. Take a pilot friend up and practice approaches. Grab the instructor when available to get the 20 dual required.

Not sure rushing to get into debt, at a high interest rate to make very little is a smart decision. How are you going to service that debt on instructor pay let alone first year FO.
 
You'll have a hard time finding anyone here to support the idea of going into debt to "catch up" to a career flying airplanes...& this is coming from a guy who is trying to make the leap as well.
 
I'm in the same boat as you. Around 50 hours with a ppl. ATP said I could finish the remaining 50 hours with them but at some crazy price I can't remember exactly how much. I applied for ATP's financial aid through Sallie Mae and other banks, and got rejected twice saying that my family didnt make enough money to get a loan. (had to use my dad as a consigner since I'm 21 and don't have 2+ years of credit to my name)



Looking on it a few weeks later it's probably a blessing in disguise. I won't be I'm nearly as much debt and I can enjoy flying a lot more at the FBO I'm at now.
 
you can EASILY fly just as much at a part 61 school.

I got my private in 2 months while working full time and going to college. I would just fly ANY chance I got. which was 3-4 times a week.

Then I got my instrument in 3 weeks. I flew to CA from FL and back, built my hood time and XC time all in 8 days, came back flew with instructor for about 5 days and bam, instrument in less than 3 weeks.

kept on time building on my own time/dime, and when I got up to about 235/240 I found my davorite instructor, took an arrow and got my commercial in about 10-15 hours (a week or so) did a checkride on sunday and by the next sunday I had my multi addon.


all in all I got everything done in 11 months while working 40+ hours a week (after my private was in hand, I moved and was done with school so work was the only thing that took up my time)


With that said, if I weren't working, I could've EASILY done it all in 3 months. I mean crap at my current job I fly 250 hours every 2-3 months and I don't even fly everyday
 
ozziecat35 said:
There are so many better ways to go about getting your ratings. Yes, you would need to get another 50 hours before you could get into the program...but don't worry, I'm sure ATP will happily sell you a time building program and some crazy price.

Feel free to ask me any questions you have, I'm an ex ATP'er. I came into the program with my PPL / Instrument and about 105 hours. I got lucky and was able to use my GI Bill benefits and didn't spend any money on the program out of pocket, and came out with my PPL Multi add-on > CMEL + CSEL. I have over 100 hours of multi time now, but even now the airlines don't really care that much since the elephant in the room is 1500 hours and ATP requirements. It used to be that multi was the big deal...not so much now. From interacting with guys who were in the fast track program, it's a brutal grind, and I think flight training should be more fun than that. I'd look into Part 61 training at a local FBO instead. Enjoy this phase of your career, go out and take friends flying for the hell of it, you won't always get this chance!
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Ozzie, how did you use the benefits to pay for the program? Was it Montgomery GI Bill? The reason I ask is because I am thinking of doing the same thing, going to ATP with my GI Bill when I separate. Were you able to cover all the $50K costs? I thought the GI bill will only cover about 18K.
 
Maverick77 said:
Ozzie, how did you use the benefits to pay for the program? Was it Montgomery GI Bill? The reason I ask is because I am thinking of doing the same thing, going to ATP with my GI Bill when I separate. Were you able to cover all the $50K costs? I thought the GI bill will only cover about 18K.
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No, I did it through the Chap. 33 benefits, Post 9-11. But it was through Mountain State University (Which no longer exists). Basically, the flight fees were considered lab costs under that class, so the VA didn't care that it was flight training, they were just paying for a class. Currently no program exists to do the same thing with ATP. It was a royal PITA to get it to work too, I was a lucky one. I'd imagine ATP is looking at hooking up with another college to get that income stream going again, so I would just keep checking their website or better yet, give them a call and ask to talk to Ben Gabriel, the monkeys that answer the phone are cfi's who are sitting in a bullpen answering phones...they don't know anything about upcoming programs.
 
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